The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-16

II you cannot see through IT. lhey want
your money.
In Chestnut street, Philadelphia, while l
was living in that city, an incident occurred
which was familiar to us there. In Chest
nut street a young man went into a gam
bling saloon, lost all his property, then blew
his brains out and before the blood was
washed from the floor by the maid the com
rades were shutting cards again. You see
there is more mercy in the highwaylnan for
the belated traveller on whose body he
heaps the stones, there is more mercy in the
frost for the flower that it kills, there is more
mercy in the hurricane that shivers the
steamer ON the Long Island coast, than
there is mercy in the heart of gambler for
| his victim.
In the third watch of the night, also,
drunkenness does its worst. The drinking
will be respectable at 8 o'clock in the even
ing, Il little flushed at nine, tallSative and
garrulous at ten, at eleven blasphemous, at
twelve the hat falls off, at one the man falls
| to the floor asking for more drink. Strewn
through the drinking saloons of the city,
fathers, brothers. husbands, sons as good as
| you are by nature, perhaps better. :.
In the high circles OF society 1t is hushed
up. A merchant prince, If he gets noisy
and uncomfortable, is taken by his fellow
jewellers, who try to get him to bed, or take
him home, where he falls fat in the entry.
DO not wake up the children. They have
had disgrace enough. Do not let them
know it, Hush it up. But sometimes it
cannot be hushed up, when the rum touches
the brain and the man becomes thoroughly
frenzied. Such an one came home, having
been absent for some time, and during his
absence his wife had died. and she lay IN the
next room prepared for the obSequies, and
he went in and dragged her by the locks,
and shook her out of her Shroud, and pitched
her out of the window.
kt.af
not hush it up. My friends, you see all
around about you the need that something
radical be done You do not see the worst.
In the midnight meetings at London great
multitude have been saved. We want a
few hundred Christian men and women to
come down from the highest circles of so
ciety to toll amid these wandering and des-
titute ones, and kindle up light in the
dark alley, even the gladness of heaven.
Do not go wrapped i'll your fine furs and
from your well-filled tables with the idea
that pious talk is going to stop the gnawing
of an empty stomach or to warm stocking
less feet. Take bread, take raiment, take
medicine as well as take prayer. There is
| great deal of commonsense in what the poor
woman said to the city missionary when he
was telling her how she ought to love God
and serve Him. ''Oh" she said, ''if you
were as poor and cold as | am. and as hun
CRY, you could think of nothing else"
A great deal OF what is called Christian
work goes for nothing for the simple reason
it is not practical; as after the battle OF
Antietam man got out of an ambulance
with bag of tracts, and he went distribut-
ing the tracts, and George Stuart, one OF
the best Christian men in this country, said
to him: "What are you distributing tracts
for now2 Here are three thousand men
bleeding to death. Bind up their wounds,
and then distribute the tracts"
We want more common sense in Christian
work. taking the bread of this life in one
hand, and the bread Of the next life in the
other hand. No such inapt work as that
done by the Christian man who, during the
last war, went into a hospital with tracts,
and coming to the bed of man whose legs
have been amputated, gave him tract on
the sin of dancing! l rejoice before God
that never are sympathetic words uttered,
never prayer offered, never a Christian
almsgiving indulged in, but it is blessed.
There is a place in Switzerland, have
been told, where the utterance of one word
will bring back O score of echoes; and l
have to tell you this morning that a sympa-
thetic word, kind word, generous word,
a helpful word uttered in the dark places of
the town will bring back ten thousand
echoes from all the thrones of heaven.
Are there in this assemblage this morning
those who know by experience the tragedies
in tho third watch of the nightl l am not
here to thrust you back with one hard word.
Take the bandage from your bruised soul
and pnt On il the soothing salve of Christs
gospel and Of Gods compassion. Many
have come. see others coming to God this
morning, tired of the sinful life. Cry up
the news to heaven. Set all the bells ring
ing. Spread the banquet under the arches.
Let the crowned heads come down and sit
at the jubilee. i tell you there is more de-
light in heaven over ono man that gets re-
formed by the grace of God than over
ninety and nine that never got off the track.
| could give you the history, in minute,
of one of the best friends | ever had. Out
side OF my own family, never had better
friend. He welcomed me TO my home at
the West. He was Of splendid personal ap-
pearance, but he had an arcor of soul and a
warmth of affection that made me love him
like brother | saw men coming out OF
the saloons and gambling hells, and they
surrounded my friend and they took him at
his weak point, his social nature, and l saw
him going down, and had fair talk with
| him---for / never yet saw man you could
not talk with on the subject of his habits, if
yoi talked with him in the right way /
said to him; "Why don't you give up your
bad habits and become Christianp / re-
member now Just how he looked, leaning
over his counter, as he replied: II wish |
could Oh, sir should like to be Chris
tian, but have gone so far astray | can't
get back"
So the time went ON. After while the
day of sickness came. / was summoned to
his sick-bed. hastened. 1t took me but a
very few moments 10 get there. l was sur
prised az l went in. / saw him in his ordi-
nary dress, fully dressed, lying on top Of
the bed. / gave him my hand, and he seized
it convulsiVely, and said "Oh, how glad |
am to see you. Sit down there" l sat
down and he said: Mr.. Tslmage, just where
you sit now my mother sat last night. She
has been dead twenty years. Now, don't
want YOU to think | am out of my mind, or
that | am superstitious; but, sir, she sat
there last night just as certainly as you sit
there now--the same cap and apron, and
spectaces 1t was my old mother-she sat
there" Then he turned 10 his wife, and
said: ~ wish you would take these strings
off the bed: somebody is wrapping strings
around me all the time. ] wish you would
stop that annoyance" She said: There is
nothing here.n Then saw it was delirium.
He said: "Just where you sit my mother
sat, and she said: Roswell, T wish you
would do better--I wish you would do bet
tor snid Mother, wish | could do
better; try to do better, but | can't
Mother YOU used to help me; why can't
YOU help me nowP And, sir, l got out Of
bed. for It was a reality, and ! went to her,
and threw my arms around her neck, and l
said, Mother, | viii do better, but you
must help; can't do this alone" | knelt